Continuing our written recap of the conversation we had with ex Pittsburgh Steelers’ scout Mark Gorscak from Friday’s episode of The Terrible Podcast, Dave Bryan and I ended the conversation by asking for Gorscak’s thoughts on former third round pick Kendrick Green. He went from Maurkice Pouncey heir to someone trying to make the roster just three years into his career.
Gorscak came to the conclusion that many fans have. With more time and patience, perhaps Green could’ve succeeded. But the team rushed him into starting right away.
“I just think it was one of those things where we were desperate for a center and we were trying to create one,” Gorscak told the show.
Pittsburgh was looking for Pouncey’s replacement, retiring after the 2020 season following the team’s upset Wild Card loss to the Cleveland Browns. After focusing their first two draft picks on offensive skill positions in RB Najee Harris and TE Pat Freiermuth, they pivoted to the offensive line with their next two picks. Many argued that was out-of-order but the team settled on Green in the third round, a redshirt junior who primarily played guard at Illinois.
But Pittsburgh envisioned him as a center and shoehorned him into the position out of the gate. It was one of the oddest and biggest misevaluations of a player as the team ever had under Kevin Colbert, drafting a player with expectations completely at odds with who Green was, and it led to ugly results. Green had a miserable rookie season and ended the year on the bench, replaced by J.C. Hassenuaer.
“If we could have brought him along a lot slower, but we didn’t have any offensive linemen. We didn’t have a center. We rushed some guys into the fire.”
2021 was part of the Steelers’ completely retooled offensive line, starting a pair of rookies in Green and left tackle Dan Moore while making a mid-summer swap for Trai Turner over an injured David DeCastro. Two years later and much of that group looks far different with Green squarely on the bench, Turner long gone, and Moore fighting for his starting spot with rookie Broderick Jones.
Gorscak praised Pittsburgh for improving their starters and depth, signing backup OG Nate Herbig, starting OG Isaac Seumalo, and drafting versatile rookie Spencer Anderson, and floated the idea of the team having tough decisions to make come the end of the preseason. Potentially, the team could flip a reserve linemen for a draft pick given the scarcity of talent at the position and the increased risk of losing them to waivers.
